Event: A3C Hip-Hop Festival & Why You Should Be There

I’ll never forget the day I got the call from my partner. It was early in the week, and I asked what we were going to do next. He mentioned possibly driving from Orlando to Atlanta for a hip-hop festival. I’d heard of music festivals before, but what he was suggesting was nearly a dream. Three days of all the dopeness of hip-hop? We were on the phone and hopped on line and did the research together.

It was early October, 2010. We decided days before the festival was to begin that we would make the drive. Plans were made, and hotel and tickets were purchased. We paid $25 for three day passes and there were over 200 acts scheduled to perform. Our plan was to network and spread the word about our artist, all while soaking in as much hip-hop as we could stand over the short time we were going to be there.

I decided to connect with other festival goers via Twitter to jumpstart the networking. I’m here to tell you I met most of these people and some of them have proved to be some of the most incredible folks I’ve met thus far in my lifetime. Real connections were made with real people, and the music was just incredible. As a fan, this is the ultimate experience to get up close and personal with some of your favorite artists as they roam through the venue without security and celebratory hoopla that generally surrounds them. As an aspiring *insert music professional title of your choice,* the same holds true. Get to Atlanta and jumpstart it all.

This year will be my third year attending and every year, I go on Twitter rants about why folks should be there. This year, I figured if I made a short list and shared it along with my personal story, I’d reach a few more people.

Here goes nothing:

– This year, the festival has expanded and will host six stages and will have over 300 artists performing throughout the city of Atlanta during the three days.

– 2 Wu-Tang members have been confirmed.

– As the festival is in Atlanta, the recent announcement of a Dungeon Family performance is pretty freaking epic.

– A extremely diverse pool of independent artists from all over the world is filling out the bill.

– All of this is happening, and you still won’t pay $100 at the door for the three day pass.

Aspiring artists, producers, journalists, publicists, promoters, etc. This part is for you:

– Come network with people who are or have been in your shoes.

– Potentially meet your future clients.

– Establish your identity in the industry.

– Gain new fans by sharing your story.

– See some of your inspirational mentors up close and personal.

9th Wonder was on hand for a question and answer session, debuted his documentary, then set the festival all the way off with his entire Jamla Records family and special guests tearing down the stage.

I hope I’ve inspired you to check the festival out. If you’re too far away to make it this year, though it is still more than a month away… plan for next year. If you’re attending, I’d love to meet you. Find me and tell me your story.